Even Without A Kiss
by Maha Maya
Summary: Marriage allows Arthur and Francis to give Alfred and Matthew, orphans tired of foster care, a home. Sudden, crazy, unpredictable, and incredibly risky, the four of them hide the fact that Arthur and Alfred are, in fact, teacher and student while facing obstacle after obstacle, and learning what it means to be a family, strange and unique as they are. (AU, UKUS, FraCan, et al. )
1. A1S1 - First Kiss

_Author's Note: This is a complete revisioning of my old fanfiction (Kisu Yori mo Hayaku: Faster Than a Kiss) on the account called "kobayashinariko". Major changes were made so it's uniquely different from the original story, but it still pays an homage to the manga known as "Faster Than a Kiss."_

_Disclaimer: For the entirety of this fanfiction, I do not own the inspiration Kisu Yori mo Hayaku, nor do I own any of the Hetalia characters. This unique blend however, does belong to me._

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Act 1

Marriage of Convenience

_Scene 1: First Kiss_

Alfred scrubbed the back of his damp hair with a soft towel. Having just stepped out of an evening shower, he forwent heading to the room he shared with his cousin in order to approach the balcony on the far end of the quiet condo. He imagined Matthew and Francis had both fallen asleep already—they had taken their showers before Alfred, because he apparently took _forever_—but that man would be awake. Maybe.

Going from the tiled floor to carpet on the path across his new, yet strangely familiar home he stopped at the pair of sliding doors, his toes nervously wiggling against the tassels of the rug in the living room area. Folding his towel down around the back of his neck, he took hold of each end and pulled on the towel while tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling for a moment in his hesitancy while he pretended to stretch. He took a hefty breath before finally looking forward again and unlatching the door to slide it open, immediately faced with a burst of fresh salty air and a cool late-summer breeze.

Before long, his gaze landed on the back of a man about his height, if a smidge shorter. His lips parted slightly, but the words got caught on his throat as he stared. The sunset's golden light had framed the man's rather slender but surprisingly strong frame. His mess of yellow hair shifted quietly in the breeze, refusing to obey any attempts short of hair cement to tame it. For a few moments the man didn't move, but the longer Alfred stood there without any indication of walking forward, the more the man wondered who had opened the door.

Finally, he looked away from the Gulf waters that his condo faced and turned to face Alfred, at which point the teenager shuffled forward a bit. "Can I join you?" He surprised himself at sounding so confident in spite of the nervous flutter that went through him the moment he could see clearly those green eyes.

The man just smiled with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "You don't have to ask permission. Being by my side is your right after all." He leaned back on the balcony railing, propping up his elbows on the polished, wrought iron. A stronger breeze carrying the scent of the Mexican Gulf wafted towards them, causing both Alfred's and the man's hair to follow its gurgling path.

_He doesn't have to remind me...Even though I still can't wrap my head around it._ Alfred thought as he felt his face warm up at the implication of their legal relationship in the man's voice. Trying to shrug it off, he took another step forward before shifting his weight from one foot to another. Unable to hide his fidgeting hands due to nonexistent pockets in his pajamas, he fingered the ends of the towel as he spoke up again in a halting tone. "Mr. Kirkland—since I guess I'm really gonna live here from now on, then uh…" He scratched the side of his neck before just bringing his hands down to adjust his shirt and then rest on his hips. "I um, _damn_ this isn't easy."

He looked down and turned his head away from Arthur Kirkland, not seeing the man's smile widen. "Take your time." He always got a bit mellow and patient in the evening, a little more relaxed than his usual uptight—albeit mercurial—demeanor that dominated most of the day. Alfred figured it was because Arthur preferred the mornings and always reserved his late evenings for rest, especially after the sun set.

"Well first, thanks, for not letting me run away yesterday." Alfred looked up after placing the words in the right order in his mind, for once speaking with the mind-mouth filter on, though this meant he'd finally slow down for once. "And…I don't know the first thing about m-marriage, except that it should be something important, and you wouldn't have gone through with it if you didn't care about me and Matt, so…" He took a breath, feeling his heart thudding harder and harder in his chest. Why did Arthur have to keep that infuriating and knowing smile on his face? That made it so much harder for him to admit what he had decided. "I'll try harder in school and do my best to repay you for giving us a home." Swallowing, he closed his mouth, staring at Arthur and waiting for his response.

Arthur's expression faltered as Alfred started talking about repayment, so it took him a moment before he spoke up. Letting go of the railing behind him he crossed the balcony to stand closer to Alfred. "If it's the whole idea of marriage that's bothering you, I'm telling you not to worry about it. It was the shortest path to give you boys a home. If anyone has a problem with it, I'll deal with them." He came to a stop about a foot in front of Alfred and allowed himself a moment to admire the boy's eyes, which were clear as a cloudless sky. "You don't have to repay me for anything, but I'm happy to hear you say you won't skip class anymore."

"But…it's not the…I mean. After I gave it some thought, it's not the idea of marriage that bothers me! I just…" And there went the filter. "I just don't want to let you down after everything you've done. Because I like living here with you and—" He paused to inhale. "What you said at the bus stop made me really happy. It's probably really selfish of me, but it made me happy…so even if I'm your student, here at home. Is it okay if I…" He bit his tongue slightly, his cheeks burning at the question that hadn't fully left his mind. As he spoke he had watched Arthur's expression go from being curious to surprised and now there was some sort of tender hope to which Alfred realized he just couldn't speak up to. In the face of an expression he had never seen before, he could only stare, overwhelmed. Thus, with a falter in his confidence he turned away his head, bringing his hand to cover his mouth slightly. "Nevermind. I should be going to sleep now!" He moved to turn away when he felt Arthur's hand snake around his arm and pull him into the balcony space again.

"Oh no. I can't let you escape like that." Arthur said with a half grin as he moved to block the path back through the sliding glass door. As Alfred made the mistake of taking a step back, Arthur advanced forward. "Is it okay if you…what?" There was almost a sly smile now as he cornered Alfred against the railing and brought a hand around either side of Alfred's waist to clutch the iron, boxing in the boy. "What do you want to do 'here at home'?"

Alfred pressed his lower back against the rail, bringing his hands to clutch at it as well as he leaned back slightly as he got trapped. "Never mind it! It's not that important…really." As Arthur raised his eyebrow Alfred swallowed, trying to think up a lie but his mind seemed particularly uncooperative so after a few moments of a staring contest he balked. After all, he knew that if he didn't ask now, he'd stay up all night wondering how Arthur would have answered. "I just…don't laugh okay?" He glowered in the face of Arthur's restrained smile.

"I promise I won't." He said.

Trusting Arthur to be genuine, he looked away as he mumbled. "Here at home…is it okay if I can act like your husband instead of student?" Ever since they started the process of getting the marriage license (a 17 year old, if both parents deceased, could apply for one legally), convincing the court that they really wanted to get married, Alfred had entertained the thought of actually having a relationship with Arthur. It didn't seem to be a bad idea; not to mention Arthur seemed to be the only light of hope left for Alfred to follow after losing not only his parents, but his aunt and uncle as well. The sun now far beyond the horizon, Alfred's red face was only dimly illuminated by the light coming out from the living room through the glass doors.

Instead of laughter, Arthur seemed taken aback by the question, not knowing how to answer for a moment. "I…" He just let out a breath before smiling with what looked like relief, but Alfred wasn't sure as Arthur stepped forward and closed the space between them. Alfred held still while Arthur wrapped his arms around his back to hug him tightly, resting his head on Alfred's shoulder. "You're not obligated to—"

"I'm the one who suggested it…so it's not an obligation." Alfred protested, returning the hug as he brought his head down to press his cheek to the side of Arthur's neck, closing his eyes. "It's what I want…but I want to know if you're against it. That way I won't…"

"No." Arthur started to pull back, hesitating. "I mean-If you're willing to accept how difficult it'll be to keep home and school separate…I also want to act as your husband." He leaned away to properly look at Alfred. "I don't know what the future will bring but, I wouldn't have said yes if I wasn't prepared. I want to give this a chance." He tilted his head slightly as he brought a hand to the side of Alfred's face, smiling at how warm it was against his palm. "We sure skipped a lot of steps, so why don't we start from the start?"

Finally he pulled a smile from Alfred's lips; it was one of immense relief. Alfred brought back his hands so they were tentatively resting on either side of Arthur's head, his thumbs tucked behind Arthur's ears. "Yeah. I'd like that." His smile widened as a mischievous light entered his eyes. "But don't expect me to go slow."

"Oho? You think you can keep up? Have you ever even been in a relationship before, or were you too busy being a delinquent?" Arthur raised an eyebrow in challenge, looking unfazed by how close they were; he could see the hesitation fill Alfred's eyes as he also began to notice the proximity.

"Well no but—"

"Ah then you haven't even kissed anyone either, have you?" Arthur grinned as Alfred twitched, looking trapped yet again. Chuckling he brought his arms back around Alfred, his hands pressed against the teen's lower back, forcing his abdomen to be flush against Arthur's.

"No, but—!" Alfred covered his mouth at the admission as Arthur laughed heartily.

"Then this'll be fun." He leaned forward to kiss Alfred's cheek before turning to walk away, leaving Alfred to stand there in a sort of stupor for a few moments.

"Wait—what?!" He snapped out of the daze. _That's it? Hold on!_ Alfred followed after Arthur, who sped up.

Arthur waved from behind. "Good night Mr. Jones—oh wait…at home I can call you Alfred can't I?" He chuckled to himself as he opened the door to his room on the far corner of the balcony—separate from the sliding door that lead to the living room.

"Wait, wait! What did you mean? Don't close that door—hey! Mr. Kirkla—" Alfred sighed as the door closed and he heard the lock click into place. "Dammit Arthur!" Tempted to kick the door in frustration, he balled his fists and controlled himself before blinking at an introspective thought. _A few months ago…I would have pounded at that door._ He quietly stared at the closed door and sighed. _Mm…but I got to call him Arthur. I wonder if he heard me._ A slightly goofy smile came to his face as he turned away, his hand touching his cheek where Arthur kissed him.

Running a hand through his hair then, he went back inside, locking the glass door behind him and heading into the room he shared with his cousin. Going as quietly as he could, he snuck around Matthew's bed to his. Pulling off his glasses and setting them on the side table nestled between the two twin beds, Alfred brought the covers up to his chin and stared up at the dark ceiling, going over in his mind the events of the last month or so as he fell asleep.

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_A/N: Reviews and Follows are much appreciated!_


	2. A1S2 - Runaway

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Act 1

Marriage of Convenience

_Scene 2: Runaway_

A Month or so ago…

Alfred slumped next to Matthew on the wooden bench of an empty bus stop. With one hand limp over his lap, the other picked at the white paint that had begun to chip away all over the bench from years of neglect. The sky was a sheet of gray, but it teasingly withheld its rain as the mid-summer humidity and heat soaked the two boys in perspiration from walking all day. They had with them a single suitcase and two backpacks with all of their worldly possessions.

"How long until sunset?" Alfred finally spoke up, wanting to know how long he had to find some sort of shelter for himself and his cousin. His tone and expression were dull, almost listless from the whole year prior to this moment. Still he raised his gaze from the pavement to the sky, the grays reflecting in his usually bright blue eyes. With a heavy sigh he ran his hands through his hair, one lock that was pushed back with the rest, just went back to sticking up against gravity as it was prone to do.

In an unpredictable car accident, his aunt and uncle had died on the high way; it had been raining and the water had made the roads a mess. Since that day, Alfred has said little and interacted with few others save for Matthew. He closed himself off from almost everyone, started acting out in school, and all in all caused both himself and Matthew a lot of worry. He could hardly bear the anxiety that came from losing so much family in so short a lifetime. If he didn't have Matthew, Alfred figured that he'd succumb to the disillusion and darkness that had gathered in his mind. In that moment, Matthew was his light; the one thing worth living and fighting for.

"I'd say an hour, if that." Matthew glanced to the digital clock set on one of the corner poles that held up the bus stop's translucent cover above their heads; at least if they had to spend the night on the bench, they wouldn't have to worry about rain. Rubbing his arm slightly he tucked one of his longer, slightly wavy locks behind an ear, a similar curl of hair at the front of his forehead bouncing in the thin breeze, undeterred by physics.

They had missed the last long-distance bus of the day thanks to Alfred's miscalculation of how long it would take to reach that particular bus stop. He had finally reached his limit with the adoption agency that had sent them from foster home to foster home in the past year. Tired of shifting around from family to family that didn't want or couldn't afford to keep them both, Alfred had decided and convinced Matthew that they were better off finding their own way. Thus he had made the decision to run away—with Matthew in tow—from the rehabilitation center for children and ended up here.

Matthew's stomach grumbled and he wrapped his arms around it. They had very little money, but a few days' worth of food left that they had scrounged up from the center over the past few weeks. Watching his cousin lean forward on his knees with a sigh, Alfred dug his hand into his backpack and pulled out a chocolate bar. "Here." He held it out to Matthew, who looked at him with surprise.

"It's okay—I don't need..."

"Just eat it Mattie." He leaned over, took Matthew's hand and put the bar in it, smiling to him. "You need something to keep that genius brain of yours going. Besides, I can't see you hungry." Alfred had wrapped his whole world around Matthew in the past year, clinging to the only family he had left. He may not have Matthew's smarts, but he was definitely stronger in willpower than his cousin, and he would sooner die than let anything happen to him.

Matthew returned the smile with a tired one of his own as he sat back and opened the candy, only to hear Alfred's stomach grumble as well. Holding back a chuckle as he glanced over, only to see Alfred had turned completely away—his back now to Matthew. "That was thunder. Maybe it'll rain soon." Alfred said, feeling Matthew scoot closer to him so he felt the teen's arm resting along the middle of his back.

The quieter of the two snapped the chocolate bar in half and reached around to hold the half in front of Alfred. "I can't see you hungry either. Whatever we have left, we share, remember?"

Gulping, Alfred felt his face blush with a fond gratitude as he took the candy bar, too embarrassed to turn his head towards Matthew now. So he just held still as he felt Matthew lean on his back, resting his head on the back of his shoulder as he nibbled away at the chocolate.

After a few quiet moments, Matthew spoke up again "Al."

"Yeah?" They could hear the crickets now as the air around them got darker, the street lights starting to come on. Rumble of cars could be heard in the distance, punctuated by moments of just hearing the wind rustling the trees about them.

He hesitated, not knowing how Alfred would react, since when they left he seemed dead set on never returning to the foster care system. "Why don't we go back to the center…?" He pressed his cheek to Alfred's back, bringing a hand to cling to his shirt, immediately feeling Alfred stiffen up a bit.

"No. I'd rather live homeless than go back there. I'll find us a place Mattie. I promise." He straightened up before turning where he sat to face the more timid of the two. He brought his forehead to Matthew's in a slow, gentle motion. "Let's get going huh? We gotta stick together; no one else is gonna help us."

"…I guess, yeah." Matthew looked down before sliding his head to the side and pulling Alfred into a hug. "I'm scared though."

"Me too." Alfred tightly wrapped his arms around Matthew. "But it's okay—all we need is each other, no one else."

"…Mr. Kirkland."

"Especially not him—Wait what? What about him?" Alfred blinked in confusion as Matthew pulled away and stood up. Standing with him, he turned to follow Matthew's gaze. "Why're you-what the hell?" The two could only look stunned as two men jogged towards them, one being their English Literature teacher. The only thought Alfred could properly cognize was: _How in the world did they find us?_

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	3. A1S3 - Teacher's Duty

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Act 1

Marriage of Convenience

_Scene 3: Teacher's Duty_

"Mr. Jones! Mr. Williams!" Arthur huffed as he came to a stop in front of the two, bowing down in exhaustion as he put his hands on his knees. Beads of sweat were running down his face and his normally well-worn blazer was tied about his waist, creasing the sleeves. His tie was askew, the top buttons of his shirt undone and sleeves rolled up. The man behind him was in a similar condition, though he was in a casual, low v-neck shirt and artsy, paint-splattered, white jeans. While the man was of the same height as Arthur, he was of slightly greater build with silken waves of hair tied back in a small ponytail, though tendrils of his locks framed and stuck to the side of his equally tired face.

"Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you two?" the unknown man spoke up, a hint of a French accent in his voice; though by living in America so long, he had naturalized a bit.

"Why were you looking at all?" Alfred said, stiffening when Arthur straightened up and gave him a glare. Swallowing, he held his ground and continued, "And who called you to look for us?"

"And how?" Matthew spoke up timidly from slightly behind Alfred, glancing to the Frenchman, who had turned to look at him when he spoke. Not expecting the gaze he gulped and looked away. Unseen by him, the man smiled slightly.

"It doesn't matter how." Arthur frowned at the two of them. "I'm listed as your emergency contact with the agency." The boys blinked, surprised; neither of them knew that they even _had_ and emergency contact. Glancing between their equally startled gazes, Arthur continued uninterrupted. "I've searched all day because I was worried about you two."

Alfred scoffed. "Yeah right—you just came to look 'cause the agency wanted you to. What did they promise in exchange?" He felt a tug on his arm and glanced to Matthew who was shaking his head.

"Al—that's no way to talk to—"

He pulled his arm out of Matthew's grasp and stepped forward to stand eye to eye with Arthur, who was the more slender of the two despite their similar height. "Well?"

"I wasn't promised anything. I came because I want you two to come home." Arthur spoke evenly and patiently in the face of the tired and angry adolescent. The sky had darkened significantly now, a cooler breeze flowing through the air as all the street and bus-stop lamps illuminated the group.

"That place isn't our home." Alfred said, obstinate. "We don't _have_ a home."

Arthur twitched at this and was about to move forward when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Francis—."

The man, Francis, then spoke up with a wider smile. "Then come to our home."

"What?" Alfred and Arthur responded to him at the same time, only to turn and glower at one another.

"Is that…allowed?" Matthew fidgeted with the hem of his shirt as he looked to Francis, who then looked a bit stumped.

"Of course it's allowed." Arthur answered for Francis. "I'll talk to the adoption agency."

"And they'll just let you adopt us is that right? No matter how you look at it, they're not just gonna let you and your boyfriend adopt two 'at-risk' teenagers." Alfred crossed his arms with some sort of finality in his tone. All things considered, this was his only argument left.

"Boyfriend? Who?" Arthur blinked and glanced over at Francis before quickly looking back to Alfred, swinging back a fist to thump against Francis' chest ("Ooph—Arthur!"). "This lazy bum isn't my boyfriend! Just a living-mate." He bit his tongue slightly, realizing he had weakened his position when it came to the ability to adopt as a single man. This was evident in Alfred's slight smirk. Behind him Francis had stepped back and rubbed his chest before starting to fiddle with his smartphone the moment he realized things were going south for Arthur. He did _not_ spend the day trying to find these boys only to let them go so easily, not after watching Arthur's panic and worry throughout the search.

"Even better. There goes all the chances for adoption really. And I don't wanna head to yet another foster home." Alfred stepped back from a now frustrated Arthur. "It's better this way."

"Being homeless? Going from place to place without shelter or steady food? Is that really what you want for you? For your brother?" Arthur turned to look at Matthew, who flinched at the attention. "You haven't said much at all—what do you really want? Are you really okay with this?"

"Well…"

"He is." Alfred said, returning Arthur's glare with his own. Beside him Matthew frowned at the interruption, his brow knitting together.

"I was asking Mr. Williams."

"I've already gone through this with Matt. We agreed to leave together. And you can't stop us. So stop acting like you care and leave us alone. We don't need you." Alfred felt Matthew's hands pull on his arm again as his tone grew aggressive. He could even see Arthur's agitation increase.

"Alfred Jones—if I wasn't your teacher I'd—"

"You'd what?" Alfred pulled on Matthew's stronger grasp.

"And stop right there!" An arm came in between the two men who looked ready to exchange blows. Francis waved his phone a bit, the screen showing lines of text formatted like a legal document. "I have a solution."

Arthur looked at Francis warily. "…what solution?"

Francis looked to the boys and smiled cordially. "Why don't you two marry us then? You're what—17 each? This State will allow it then." He chuckled as he gained two deer-in-the-headlight expressions from the boys, but he flinched when he turned and saw the same aghast expression from Arthur. "Hm...Well? What do you guys think? Don't tell me I went through this ridiculous legal rules document for nothing!"

Matthew was the first to recover. He let go of Alfred's arm and went to pick up his backpack and their suitcase, leaving the rest to watch in silence. After a moment of deliberation, he walked towards Alfred then looked to Francis and Arthur. "I'll go back. I didn't want to leave school…and if this means we get to have a home then I'll agree to this."

Alfred felt a panic grip his chest. "What?—Matt—Matt no!" He took his cousin's arm, his expression helpless. "It's a trick—There's no way this is legal—He'll just-." He swallowed, his grip tightening on Matthew's arm. "How can you trust them like this?"

"Because Mr. Kirkland is our teacher!" Matthew raised his voice, causing Alfred to flinch, and just turned to face his cousin to continue the scolding. "I'm tired of moving around. I'm tired of thinking we can't trust anyone. I want a home. I want to go to school. I want to live with you and I want you to be happy again!" Tears pricked at his eyes. "And if marrying is the easiest way to do that then I will! A-And as your older brother—" He sniffed, wiping at his eyes, causing his glasses to go askew. "I can force you to come with me—Just this once…you have to follow me." Finally, Alfred saw the same fear and panic on Matthew's face, but he also saw a quiet determination and this time, he'd have to accept defeat.

So, Alfred gritted his teeth before narrowing his eyes at Francis and Arthur. (If I leave, I lose Matt. If I go back, I have to marry one of these two?) He turned back to Matt and took his glasses before batting away his hands and wiping his eyes. "Alright stop…" He sighed, muttering. "Geez…making me choose like this is not fair Mattie." He wiped the glasses before putting them back on Matthew and picking up his backpack from the bench. Returning to stand in front of Francis and Arthur, who had fallen silent at the suggestion of marriage, Alfred spoke again, the warning clear in his tone. "If you two do anything to us."

Arthur responded as fast as he could, having finally recovered and thought through Francis' suggestion in order to prepare himself, at least temporarily. "We won't." Arthur finally raised his gaze to the boys. "What kind of men do you think we are?" At Alfred's expression he sighed. "Look. All we want is for you boys to be safe. The extra room in our condo isn't currently rented out so you two have a place to stay." He glanced to the sky. "It's late…let's head back." He still didn't know what to truly think of this whole marriage idea Francis came up with. But as a teacher, he felt some relief in retrieving the boys, even at this cost. After all, he thought, if he couldn't help his students when they were in such dire need, he had no right calling himself a teacher. He glanced to Francis as the four of them started walking back. Words of gratitude got stuck in his stubborn throat at the expression on his long-time friend's face.

Francis just looked to Arthur and smiled nonchalantly. "You're welcome Arthur."

"Mm."


	4. A1S4 - Gratitude

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Act 1

Marriage of Convenience

_Scene 4: Gratitude_

The trip to the condo happened in almost a daze for the two boys. Before they realized it, they had not only settled their things in the remaining room of Arthur and Francis' home—each of their backpacks left on the twin beds—but had showered and were sitting at a dinner table which possibly the most amazing feast they had ever seen.

"This is…" Matthew shook his head at the food in admiration.

"Tasty I hope." Francis chuckled as he came to sit around the curve of the glass tabletop, setting down a crystal glass filled with water for Matthew. Beside him Arthur did the same for Alfred and came to sit on the remaining space around the circular dining table. The dining area was well lit by a ceiling fan's lights. On one side of the room, closer to the balcony, were a set of couches and chairs facing a flat-screen tv, while on the other side was the serving counter that blocked off the kitchen area, a line of chairs tucked along the side of it.

Alfred watched as Arthur sat down, for once waiting until everyone seemed settled before starting to eat. Even now there was a bit of a nervous knot in his stomach. He looked around the condo. The decoration was minimal, but it gave a cozy feel to the clean apartment. He was doing rather well looking everywhere but Arthur, until…

"Mr. Jones…is everything all right?" Arthur looked to Alfred's hesitant expression with one of subtle concern.

"Huh?" Alfred turned his head towards Arthur, a bit taken aback by the man's kind, emerald gaze. "Oh-yeah, yeah. It's um." He swallowed, looking back down at the food set up in the center of the table. "I'm fine. It's fine…and this is uh," He let out a slight breath of disbelief, exchanging a glance with Matthew, who he knew was feeling the same overwhelming gratitude. "This is really…"

"Generous. And really, really kind of you both." Matthew said, offering the men a tentative smile. His hands were folded together over his lap, clasped together. "But…about the marriage thing…"

Francis waved a hand dismissively. "Don't you worry about that tonight. All I want is for you to eat and head to sleep. You've had a trying day as it is." With that he leaned forward and started spooning the meal, which consisted of baked macaroni and cheese, salad, and garlic bread onto the boy's plates, giving them a generous portion. "I think we all have." He glanced to Arthur, who he could tell was ready to go to sleep. "We'll deal with everything in the morning. I rather celebrate tonight."

Alfred blinked. "Celebrate?" he picked up his fork, mouth salivating at the creamy macaroni. "Celebrate what? Making sure we didn't run away?"

Briefly Arthur looked surprised that Alfred had said that. "Of course." He braved a smile for Alfred, amused when he noticed the boy glance to him and then avert his gaze quickly.

In spite of his fatigue, he felt a warmth in his chest at this accomplishment. Now all he had to do was gain the teenager's trust, because he knew from the moment he learnt who Alfred was the previous school year that he wanted to help the boy yet again.


End file.
